New State Dept. Emails Reportedly Show ‘Top Secret’ Clearance Was Rushed for Major Clinton Donor Appointee

Newly released emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed that her aides rushed to provide "top secret" security clearances for one of her major donors.

In the emails, aides purportedly scrambled to nominate the young Rajiv Fernando to the State Department's International Security Advisory Board — even despite his seeming lack of experience. Multiple aides also rushed to get Fernando a "top secret" security clearance before the ISAB's initial meeting, Law Newz reported.

Image source: ABC News

Fernando, a major donor to Democrats as well as to the Clinton Foundation, seemed to baffle Clinton staffers as to how he was able to obtain the highly important position on the advisory board with his experience level. The released emails also show that top Clinton aide Huma Abedin at one point was "scrambling to accommodate a sudden request by Fernando for some face time with" Clinton.

A Chicago securities trader who specialized in electronic investing, Fernando was able to advise Clinton on arms control issues and the use of tactical nuclear weapons along with members of Congress, former Cabinet officials and nuclear scientists, ABC News reported.

"We had no idea who he was," one of the board members told ABC News.

These recent emails were obtained by Fox News through the conservative Citizens United, Law Newz reported. Citizens United obtained the emails from a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Center for Security Policy's Fred Fleitz told Fox New that he was concerned that "quite a few emails suggest the State Department rushed the security clearance process so he could attend a meeting of this very sensitive board."

Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, is under a criminal investigation for her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.

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